I Don't Doubt
by Aria E. Seymour
Summary: Downton Abbey Season 1-6 spoilers: this is a Banna story taken a few days after the final episode and through the rest of their story. It's told in the POV of Anna Bates. I really hope you enjoy this. Feedback is much appreciated. xoxox (also I rated it M because I don't know what's to come).
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Here is my first long term story. I'll be writing this along with other fanfictions. I hope you enjoy this little series. Be sure to "follow" my story. Bye lovlies! ~Aria

Throughout the years, Mr. Bates and I have been through more than Romeo and Juliet. We have conquered more than William II of Normandy. We have traveled more troubled waters than Sir Francis Drake. We have experienced more turmoil than any character in Charles Dickens. We are John and Anna Bates. And although we have had many difficulties, our tough road is much better than living a life without each other.

It all started with two smiles, two dinners, two kisses, two murders, a rape, and now a child. I know, that sounds ridiculous, but it's true. Mr. Bates and I are absolutely in love with our son, John Junior who was in fact born a few days ago. Since I don't want to miss a moment, I've decided to start keeping track of major and minor events in our lives. Especially, in our son's life.

Hold your breath, because life is about to get much harder.


	2. Chapter 2

These first few weeks have been the longest learning experience of my life. So far, I have learned that Mr. Bates is the most loving father. He is the only man I have ever met that actually gets up in the middle of the night to help me feed John Junior.

Currently, my favorite thing to do is hold John Junior and admire his handsome features. His brown hair matches his father's completely. He also has Mr. Bates's brown eyes, but I believe he has my nose. Mr. Bates sent messages to all of his old war friends telling them about his son that looks like a "mini Bates".

Although, Mr. Bates and I are not the only two that adore John Junior. Lady Mary and Lady Edith came to visit us yesterday. They brought Master George, Sybbie and Marigold with them. I let all three hold John Junior. Sybbie was absolutely keen on little John. I know someday she will make a wonderful mother.

All in all, not too much has gone on. It's all the same repetitive feed, change the diaper, sleep, repeat. I can't wait to spend more time with this little baby in the future. It's going to be hard going back to work in a week.

Recently, I've been calling John Junior "JJ". Mr. Bates prefers to call him John, but I think JJ fits this little lad.


	3. Chapter 3

4:30 in the morning. Time to get up for work. I used to wake around 5:00, but now with JJ I have to take some more time to feed, burp, change, and clothe him. JJ was a little leary this morning. I'm sure last night he discovered something was up because I cried while I fed him. That's our little secret.

"Anna, are you ready to go?" Mr. Bates yelled from the kitchen.

"In a minute!"

I hugged my little boy tightly and whispered in his ear.

"Today mummy has to take care of Lady Mary and you are going to be with Nanny Ellington. I want you to remember mummy and daddy love you however, whatever, whenever."

I picked up JJ and held him tight as we traveled up the drive in the morning dew. The dusty rocks below my feet crunched. Each step I took felt like something was tugging me back to our little cottage. As much as I wanted to see Lady Mary and return to work, I wanted to spend time with JJ as well. Mr. Bates kept looking down at me. He could tell that I was anxious about this. He did not say anything, but I know he wanted to.

As we approached the door, I was bombarded by Mrs. Hughes, Mrs. Patmore, and Baxter all welcoming me back. They all looked a little blue, but they all had a reason to be. Mrs. Hughes no longer has Mr. Carson here. Daisy is gone to the farm and Mrs. Patmore is just beside herself. And now Moseley is working full time at the schoolhouse. I can tell Baxter misses Moseley. She has a certain look in her eyes. I know that look. I've had that look when Mr. Bates left Downton for a year. At least she knows where Moseley is.

I removed my coat and hung it up. I carried JJ into the Servants' Hall and played with him until Mary rung. Before I attended to Lady Mary, I made a stop at the nursery.

"Good morning, Nanny Ellington!" I sung.

"Good morning, Anna. Are you ready to be back to work?"

"Not as ready as I thought I was going to be, but I'll manage."

"Well, don't worry a bit. JJ is going to be very happy here with the others kids… when they wake up."

"The children look so peaceful sleeping in there beds. Well, I better be off to Lady Mary.

I walked down the halls of Downton to Lady Mary. Strolling in, she and Mr. Talbot were arguing like I have never seen. They were both screaming at each other calling the other vulgar names. Mr. Talbot bolted off in an angered rush. Lady Mary looked flustered and embarrassed.

"Sorry, Anna. Great way to start off your return. Anyway, I'm heading out with George this afternoon. I'll ring around one for that, but right now just help me dress."

"It's okay M'Lady. No harm done."

"Oh also, I forgot to tell you that I had to order a new hair dryer, so you might need to get used to the new one."

"What happened to the old one?"

"I was trying something with my hair and I suppose I didn't know how to use it properly, because I nearly set Downton on fire. Luckily I did not: unlike Edith."

We both laughed. I suppose I didn't need to ask what had happened because in the back of her head she had singed hair at the tips.

"How is Lady Edith doing?"

"She's well, but I'm sure that husband of her's will be tired of Edith soon. I wouldn't be surprised if Edith comes home with Marigold sobbing over a filed divorce."

I didn't answer and attended to my work.

For the rest of the day I mended, shined shoes, and played with JJ in between. I had to sneak to visit him though. Neither Mr. Barrow nor Mrs. Hughes would like me playing with him that often. Needless to say, I was glad to go home that night.

"I know you missed him today. Actually, you couldn't have missed him, because you were with him the whole day," Mr. Bates teased after I put our son to bed.

"How did you know?"

"Anna, do you really think I didn't check on him throughout the day? Both times I checked in you were there with John."

"Are you going to Mrs. Hughes? Or worse Mr. Barrow," I giggled.

"Are you kidding? Why would I tell them about my wife doing the sweetest thing she's ever done: love my son to pieces."

"Oh, Mr. Bates."

"I love you, Anna." he stated lovingly as he kissed my forehead.

"I love you, Mr. Bates."

A woman couldn't ask for a better man than Mr. John Bates. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones.


	4. Chapter 4

For the past two months not too much has happened. The only two things that have really changed is Lady Mary's belly size and her anger with Mr. Talbot. I'm worried about those two. Two days ago, Mr. Talbot started sleeping in one of the guest bedrooms. It's sad to see Lady Mary and Mr. Talbot like this. I remember at first, I was skeptical about their relationship. Now I remember why.

In other news, Mrs. Patmore has been spending more time with Mr. Mason. They've got a little sparks flying. Moseley and Baxter on the other hand have so many sparks between them they might electrocute themselves and everyone within 10 meters. I talked to Moseley in the village about a week ago. We bumped into each other as I was picking up something for Lady Mary. He was heading home from the schoolhouse.

"Mr. Moseley! How are you? Are you loving your new job at the schoolhouse?" I chatted.

"Hello, Anna. Life is going very well. I'm just loving my job at the schoolhouse. The children listen to me. No one has ever listened to me before."

"I think you're forgetting about another person who listened to you. And you listened to her. You two really build each other up."

"Are you talking about Baxter?"

"Of course I am. All I ask is that you don't forget about her."

"I won't… I won't"

I know that I normally say "the trick of the business is to mind your own", but for some reason I just had to meddle. Maybe it's because of how close Baxter and I have gotten these past two months. She adores JJ. In fact, I made her the Godmother and Mr. Moseley the Godfather.

Another event that took place happened a few hours ago in the Servant's Hall. We were all gathered around the table as we normally are for dinner. As we were eating, Mrs. Patmore strolled in with Daisy. Overly excited, we all greeted her. The first thing she did was wink at Andy. He stood from the table and darted over to Daisy. Both of them were acting very lovingly with one another.

"Is there something you two would like to announce?" Mr. Barrow snapped.

"Actually, yes there is. I've asked Daisy to marry me and she said yes," Andy chimed.

"What? I can't believe it! Daisy finally found love and held onto it. My my. I sure thought the Nile would flow south before that would ever happen," Mrs. Patmore comically commented.

"Congratulations to you both. I'm very happy for you. It's about time. Isn't that right Mr. Bates?" I applauded.

"Yes. We are very happy for you."

"Congrats to you," Baxter added with a hint of disappointment.

Baxter quickly left the table and headed to her room. Excusing myself, I followed her. When I reached her room I lightly knocked and let myself in. She was sitting on her bed slightly hunched. Patting her back, I sat beside her.

"I know what's wrong. I normally wouldn't pry, but I feel I need to. I know this is about Moseley and I know that he's been distant and gone lately, but you needeth not let it get to you. You are strong"

"Thank you, Anna. I really mean it. I just wish Moseley wasn't so wrapped up in that school. I'm proud of him, but I don't like how prideful he's becoming. He's forgetting about his loved ones… he's forgetting about me."

"He's still keen on you just wait a little longer. And if you're tired of waiting, tell him. Anyway, I'll leave you to your thoughts."

I left the room to pick up JJ. I can't believe he's already three months old. He's getting so big. I wish I could see him more during the day, but what can I do?

Tonight I put JJ in his cot and turned off the lights. He started to cry like I've never heard him cry before. Picking him up, I tried to comfort his sorrows, but nothing I said or did worked. Mr. Bates came in and held him. He patted his back and cuddle the boy.

"Hush hush, John. You need to give women silence occasionally and right now you need to be quiet. Your mother needs her rest. Hush hush my little boy,"

Mr. Bates said soothing the child to bed in his arms.

He sat on a wooden rocking chair with JJ and told me to head to bed. I put on my nightgown and finished my nightly duties. As I lay in bed, Mr. Bates appeared in the room.

"How did you get him to sleep?"

"Fatherly magic. You wouldn't understand."

" _Fatherly magic_? I should have you burned at the stake for witchcraft."

"Okay it was more like luck. Fatherly luck."

"Get into bed, Mr. Bates."


	5. Chapter 5

I love weddings; they make me jittery and excited for the new couple. It reminds me of my own joyous and genial wedding. Mr. Bates, on the other hand, does not like weddings because it reminds him of our wedding. I know I make it sound as though Mr. Bates regrets marrying me, but that is the most untrue statement ever considered. The reason he doesn't like to think about our wedding is because he feels bad about it. He wanted to see me float down the aisle in a white flowy dress. He wanted to have all his friends and family there to witness our love and show me off, but he never got to. I'm just thankful we were wed.

Daisy's hair was done up in a beautiful updo. I spent an hour styling it. Her dress was simplistic, yet extravagant. It fitted close to her body. In contradiction, the veil flowed far from her body. She looked like the princess she is. Andrew looked spiffy and sleak. They looked like a fairytale prince and princess.

Once the service was over, the congregation exited the church. Gathering, the single women clustered around Daisy as she threw the bouquet into the crowd; it landed right into Mrs. Patmore's arms.

We were celebrating at the schoolhouse, when Mr. Mason strolled over to Mrs. Patmore. Mr. Bates and I peered at each other. He winked at me. We turned back to look at them. We saw Mr. Mason blush and Mrs. Patmore raise her hands to her face. With a joyful tear, Mrs. Patmore nodded.

"I guess that bouquet really was meant for her , ay?" Mr. Bates laughed.

"Haha! For sure." I agreed.

We all congratulated Mr. Mason and Mrs. Patmore on their wedding.

The reception did not last much longer after and we headed home. Plus I missed JJ quite a bit.  
Once we had fetched JJ and were home at last, Mr. Bates and I talked for a while. We chatted about silly little things and slowly had deeper conversation. We had danced around this subject a little bit, but not much.

"Anna, we need to talk about something very important. I know you love your Lady Mary and I am noble to His Lordship, but is working for them really worth the time lost we could be spending on JJ. We've talked about owning a hotel for a long time and I've been saving money for it."

"I would love to buy a hotel, Mr. Bates, but I don't think I can leave. Just not yet anyway. I love JJ and being with him, but I think Lady Mary needs me right now. I don't believe her and Mr. Talbot or exactly _happy_ at the moment."

"Just say the word, Anna, and we can turn in our notices. Promise me you will tell me if you want to go."

"Of course."

"Hey Anna…" Mr. Bates spoke with a sly smirk on his face

"What is it?" I asked giggling.

"When can we put JJ to bed and have some fun? Just the two of us."

"My word, Mr. Bates some of the things you say!"

And on that note, I put JJ in his cot and we headed to our room.


End file.
